Monday, April 7, 2014

Syrians suffer as al-Qaeda, Chechen fighters pursue their own agendas

In the past year, a plethora of press reports and video clips has
surfaced on Chechens, among other Caucasus fighters, fighting alongside
Islamist groups in Syria.

These Chechens have fought alongside the al-Qaeda-linked “Islamic
State of Iraq and the Levant” (ISIL) and Jabhat al-Nusra (JAN),
al-Qaeda’s branch in Syria, despites fractures and tensions with these
groups, as each seeks to establish its own caliphate in the region,
analysts told Al-Shorfa.

“The presence of Chechen fighters in Syria is linked to al-Qaeda and
its branches in Syria,” said strategy analyst Maj. Gen. Yahya Mohammed
Ali, who is retired from the Egyptian army. “Since they began arriving,
they joined ISIL, JAN and other battalions and factions” that subscribe
to the ideology of al-Qaeda.